Tractor



E. FLAIZ.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR'.23, 19m.

Patented July 13 ED FLAIZ, OF'OLATHE, COLORADO.

Application filed A ri aa To all whom it may concern .1 v,

Be it known that I, EnFnAiz a citizen of the; United States, residing at Olathe, in the county of Montrose and State of Coldrado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tractors, ofwhich the following. is a specification. V

This invention relates to tractors principally used in connection with agricultural machinery; and it'consists chiefly of a combined steering and auxiliary driving mechanism arranged at the front end of the inachine and constructed as hereinafter fully described and claimed. v p I In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view showing the outline ofa tractor provided at its front end with a combined steering and auxiliary driving mechanism according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the steering and auxiliary driving mecha nism. Fig. 3 is a front end View, and Fig. 4 is a plan view, of the same. a r j The tractor is provided with a main frame 2, which is substantially triangular at its front end and which has parallel sideportions at its middle and rear parts. The two main Sground wheels 3 are arranged at the rear part of the frame, one on each side thereof, and they are driven by any approved motor A. The motor is preferably an internal combustion engine, and it is supported at the middle part of the frame, and is operatively connected with the ground wheels 3 by any suitable transmission gearing. The transmission gearing is indicated generally by the numeral 3 in Fig. 1. The ground wheels 3 are constructed and arranged in any approved wayat the sides of the frame, and the transmission gear is not more fully shown, as it does not form a part of the present invention. l

The radiator 5 for the engine is arranged at the rear part of the frame, and also the seat 6 for the driver so that the tractor may be relatively short in proportion to its weight. The radiator. is, placed intermediate of the engine and the seat 6 for the driver, and can conveniently be cooled from the engine by a fan, in the usual way, when in that position. The engine and radiator are arranged to the front of the axis of the main ground wheels 3, and a direct driving connection is made between the front ground wheel and theengine by means of a single horizontal countershaft 28 as will be more fully described hereinafter.

TRACTOR. a

131.9 a-a 1N 2 2 210.29-

1 A s ngle anagram: aha: mange;

at, the frontend 'of'th'e" frame, 'isfu's'ed QSt F ls t ct r, andals a an auxi y driving wheel to increase its tractive power.

' Thefronten'd of thew-frame 2 has a ver tical bearing'8'secured to it, and 9 is a holj V low steering spindle which is journaled Zin Specification of Letters Patent. 1 1 19 f I the said Iljearing.f The spindle 9 has forked lower end portion lO,anl the ground Wheel? issecuife'd shaft l fl which isi j ournaled in bearings l l on'thearms of the j forked portion 10, The item ground; wheel 7 is: arranged to 7 one of the axis of the tubular sp ndle 9,an d it preferably has a circumferential flange '7 on one sidenext to the axis of the said spindlelf A worm;-

wheel lfiis securedontheupp'er'end portion i' offthc spindle 9, and[1 6 isa ,.worm which gears into lithe wor li fjwheel which is ins hani? or s X:

secured on the 7 etc tension section 17". i

The steering shaft li; is journaled insuit- T able supportingbearings 18 on thefranie, and it ,is arranged inan inclined position, and a,steering hand wheel 19 is secured on its rear end portion conveniently 'near the seat for the driver, v

A driving shaft 20, is g maied in meter spindle 911s arrangedat one side of the cen! low or tubular steering'spindle 9,and the ter of the arms of the forked portion 10,'so that the shaft 20 mayextend downwardly at one side of the ground'fwheel 7. The

lower end portion .ofthe shaft 20, is journaled in a bearing block 21which1is secured to onemember ofgthe forked [portion 10 by a a c1amp22. A beveled toothed pinion E lis secured vto the shaft 20 below the vbearing block 21, and it gears into a bevele dtoothed;

wheel 25 sec uredto theground wheel 7 conbeveled teeth. Thebearing 21 is clamped to the lower partlf of the forked portion 10 so that'it can be reinovedjand replaced. Its use enables beveled toothed wheels of relatively small diameter; to ,be used and to be heldin driving engagement with each toothed pinion 27 is secured on a driving centric with itsaxis. The wheel 25' and'its o i ion 24 are preferably provided with skew shaft 28 which is journaled in bearings 29 on the frame and this pinion 27 gears into the wheel 26.

Arclutch member 30 is mounted loosely on the driving shaft 28, and 31 is a sprocket wheel secured to the clutch member 30. A

sprocket Wheel 82 is secured on the crankshaft 33 of the motor, and-3t is a drive chain which passesoverthe two sprocket wheels,

so that the clutch member 30 is driven continuously by the motor. A clutch member 35 is splined on the shaft 28, and is normally pressed into driving engagement with the clutch member 30 by means of a helical spring 30 arrangedbetween the collar 36' and a collar 37011 the hub of the slidable V clutch member 35. Any approved form of from the steering ground wheel 7.

clutch members may be 'used, but friction clutch members are preferred.

, The collar 37 7 has a circumferential groove 38, and 39 is a, pinfwhich projects laterally from an arm 40 which is secured on a rockshaft 411 whichis journaled in bearings 42 on the frame and arrangedunder the collar 37. The pin 39 engages with the groove in the collar, and the rock-shaft is provided with a lever 43 at one 'endsolthat it can be operated'to retract the slidable clutch member out of" engagement with the clutch member 30. r 7 An operating rod 44 is pivoted to the lever 43 and'is provided with a handle arranged means of the lever 43 and parts conncctedto it, and can hold the slidable clutch member, after retracting it, by means of the catch 15. This arrangement enables the operator to handle the tractor with facility from his seat which is at the other endof'the frame A beveled toothed wheel 46 1s secured on the engine crankshaft near the sprocket wheel 32, and gears into a beveled toothed wheel 47 secured on a cross-shaft 18 which is journaled in bearings49 on the'frame. This shaft is provided with a hand crank of any approved construction which is used in starting the engine in the usual way, and

wheels, but when the tractor is used between rows of plantsitcan be arranged to one side of the center to clear one row of plants.

The ,main ground wheels can be unclutched from the engine in the usual way when desired, and both driving and steering can be accomplished by means of the front ground wheel 7 The front ground wheel is'however chiefly used as an auxiliary driving wheel to increasethe driving wheelbase orcontact with the ground and its periphery is arranged to revolve at the same speed as the peripheries of the main ground wheels. 4

The steering pletely'around, and the front ground wheel can be turned to any desired angle, so as to turn the tractor to the right or to the left in a very'short space. The arrangement of the parts ofthe tractor so that it is short" in length in proportion to'its'weight, permits it to work closeup tofences and in the cornersof fields. r

On account of the angle'at which the steering shaft17 is arranged, it is preferably made in two sections 17 and 17 and these two sections are connected together by a universal joint or coupling 50 of any approved construction. The worm 16 is secured on the short section 17 of the steering shaftwhich forms its front end portion.

lVhat I claim is:

In a tractor, a frame, main ground wheels arranged at the sides of the rear part of the frame, a motor for driving the main ground wheels arranged at the middle part of the frame in front oftheir axis, a radiator for the motor arranged behind it and also in front of the axis of the main ground wheels, a steering and driving ground wheel pivoted ona-vertica'l axis at the front part of the frame, a single coun tersha'ft arranged parallel to and in front of the crankshaft of the motor, and driving mechanisms operatively connecting the respective end portio'nsof the-said countershaft with the engine crankshaft and with the front groundwheel.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my.

signature.

Y an FLAITZ."

spindle can be turned-'com-' if 

